2023 Piccadilly Chardonnay

Old vine Chardonnay from the heart of Piccadilly, where the wines are renowned for their power and flair. No doubt about it with this wine, it’s all lemon citrus, melons, ripe fruit and impressive acid…a complete package and the reason this part of the Hills is often referred to as the “Grand Cru” section.

Vineyard: Udy’s Rd, Piccadilly
Planted: 1983
Clones: I10V1
Elevation: 470m
Aspect: W
Soil: Light loamy clay over sandstone with extensive schist and quartz rocks and rubble

Vinification:
Whole bunches were crushed and pressed into to tank for settling overnight before racking off solids to barrel.
The wine spent 11 months in French oak, 30% new, before racking to tank for three months and bottled.

Harvest date: 05 April 2023
Bottled: 27 May 2024
Vineyard location: 34°58’50”S 138°44’14”E
Alc: 12.8% | pH: 3.35 | TA: 6.2 g/L | Production: 3563 bottles

2023 Ashton Chardonnay

The sixth release from our 0.8 ha block in Ashton where the northerly aspect and deep clay soils result in a wine with boldness and texture. It’s not just about the bold flavours though, there is a beautiful stone fruit character and a great acid line from a very cool growing season.

Vineyard: Zoina, Ashton
Planted: 1996
Clones: I10V1
Elevation: 520m
Aspect: N
Soil: Light loamy clay over sandstone with extensive schist and quartz rubble.

Vinification:
Whole bunches were pressed to tank for settling overnight before racking off heavy solids to barrel.
The wine spent 11 months in French and Austrian oak, 28% new, before racking to tank for three months and bottled.

Harvest date: 05 April 2023
Bottled: 27 May 2024
Vineyard location: 34°56’13”S 138°44’21”E

Alc: 12.4% | pH: 3.29 | TA: 6.1 g/L | Production: 932 bottles

2023 Scary Gully Chardonnay

Scary Gully has a fine boned line from the shallow rocky soils its grown on high up in Forest Range. The wine is all about the minerality and the hints of lime, fennel seeds and white peach. Its driven, it’s distinct, it’s one of the great sites in the Adelaide Hills, further enhanced by low yields and the coolness of the vintage.

Vineyard: Scary Gully, Forest Range
Planted: 1994
Clones: Entav 84
Elevation: 580m
Aspect: South South East
Soil: quartz rubble of siltstone, sandstone and clay

Vinification:
Whole bunches were pressed into to tank for settling overnight before racking off solids to barrel.
The wine spent 11 months in French and Austrian oak, 20% new, before racking to tank for three months and bottled.

Harvest date: 21 April 2023
Bottled: 27 May 2024
Vineyard location: 34°57’15”S 138°47’03”E

Alc: 12.2% | pH: 3.26 | TA: 7.1 g/L | Production: 1343 bottles

2023 Monomeith Pinot Noir

One of the great and distinctive vineyards of the Adelaide Hills, and arguably the coolest. Monomeith sits in its own very cool valley on the top ridge of Ashton and the vines benefit from an east-west orientation, where part of the vineyard gets the morning sun and the other half the afternoon sun. This results in a wine with great depth, complexity and all the classic aromatics of great Pinot noir.

Vineyard: Monomeith, Ashton
Planted: 1996
Clones: MV6, 777, 114 and 115
Elevation: 530m
Aspect: E and W
Soil: Light loamy clay over sandstone with extensive quartz

Vinification:
20% whole cluster open top fermentation for two to three weeks followed by 10 months in oak, 20% new, before racking to tank for three months and bottled.

Harvest date: 20 April 2023
Bottled: 15 May 2024
Vineyard location: 34°56’13”S 138°44’34”E

Alc: 12.3% | pH: 3.7 | TA: 5.8 g/L | Production: 3095 bottles

2023 Scary Gully Pinot Noir

The Pinot noir at Scary Gully is one of the highest and oldest in the Adelaide Hills and sits upon a ridge of sandstone and quartz. The 2023 vintage ended up being the cooolest and latest vintage on record so we had some serious farming challenges on the steep slopes in the wet!
However, the low yielding, cool and slow ripening season has resulted in wines that have a depth and tension we rarely achieved in the Hills, especially from 2023, so this is a true testament to the site.

Vineyard: Scary Gully, Forest Range
Planted: 1984
Clones: MV6, D5V12, D2V4 and GM8
Elevation: 560m
Aspect: West, East & North
Soil: Light loamy clay over sandstone with extensive quartz.

Vinification:
20% whole cluster open top fermentation for two to three weeks followed by 10 months in oak, 20% new, before racking to tank for three months and bottled.

Harvest date: 14 & 22 April 2023
Bottled: 14 May 2024
Vineyard location: 34°57’13”S 138°47’14”E

Alc: 12.6% | pH: 3.54 | TA: 6.1 g/L | Production: 2454 bottles

2023 Little Creek Pinot Noir

Little Creek may not be the steepest of our sites, but the design of the site makes it almost impossible to drive on in the wet. Sadly the 2023 vintage, which was extremely wet and cold, meant that disease pressure was high in the region, and sadly Little Creek bore the most damage from mildew. Only two barrels of wine were made but what barrels they were! Its powerful, its aromatic, and its an absolute pleasure to drink and toast to a challenging year from a special site.

Vineyard: Little Creek, Norton Summit
Planted: 1987 & 1990
Clones: MV6, D5V12, Martini & 777
Elevation: 500m
Aspect: North & South
Soil: Quartz over sandstone.

Vinification:
100% destemmed open top fermentation for two weeks before basket pressing to two neutral French oak barrels for 10 months, then racked to tank for three and bottled.

Harvest date: 23 March 2023
Bottled: 15 May 2024
Vineyard location: 34°55’42”S 138°44’19”E

Alc: 12.2% | pH: 3.65 | TA: 5.9 g/L | Production: 921 bottles

2023 Onkaparinga Valley Sangiovese

A new wine in the portfolio for 2023. Meticulously farmed twenty-six year old vines from the boniest and highest section of the Turnbull Vineyard in Charleston have allowed us to realize our dream of making site specific Sangiovese. It’s still young and primary but with the natural acidity and the fine boned tannins we are sure that this wine, as well as this story, have only just started their journeys.

Vineyard: Turnbull, Charleston
Planted: 1998
Clones: H6V9
Elevation: 460m
Aspect: North
Soil: Sandy loam over siltstone & sandstone

Vinification:
100% destemmed open top fermentation for two weeks before closing the lid and sealing for two more months.
Basket pressed to a 1000L terracotta amphora and a new 228L French oak barrel for 10 months before bottling.

Harvest date: 24 April 2023
Bottled: 14 May 2024
Vineyard location: 34°55’23”S 138°55’17”E

Alc: 14.5% | pH: 3.52 | TA: 5.8 g/L | Production: 1487 bottles

(Image: Gareth & Rainbo Belton - Gentle Folk Wines / www.gentlefolk.com.au)